Dynamo Finally Come Home

On Wednesday night, the Houston Dynamo fell 1-0 the New York Red Bulls. We can talk about the loss or the bad pass by Corey Ashe or the defense giving up another poor goal. We can analyze the play of Cam Weaver or Mac Kandji as they have gotten very little playing time this year. At the end of the day, it does not matter because the Dynamo return to Houston to play in their home for the first time ever.

Sure, it may be fun to take jabs at Robertson Stadium and the University of Houston or talk about how much better life is in the new place. At the end of the day, it’s just good to be the landlord and not a tenant. The Houston Dynamo organization is in complete control of all facets of the fan experience now. They will also finally reap the entire financial benefit from concessions and other ancillary revenue streams.

The list of people deserving praise and thanks for the stadium is a lengthy one. It starts first and foremost though with the four most important people to getting the stadium built: Oliver Luck, Annise Parker, Phil Anschultz, and Ed Emmett. Luck was absolutely instrumental in finessing the political machine to move to the will of the Houston soccer fan. Just ask Houston’s opponents tomorrow how difficult it is to get local government officials to coalesce around a stadium venture, let alone during difficult economic times.

Anschultz obviously deserves credit for moving the team initially to Houston and putting a large amount of the financial burden for the stadium’s construction costs on his company’s back. Throw in the fact that he helped carry the league through its darkest days and there would be no MLS or Houston Dynamo without him.

Then of course there are the fans that helped support this franchise over the years. Tomorrow is a simple reward for every person that attended a Dynamo game at Robertson Stadium or the long line of local businesses that have opted to sponsor the soccer team over the years. Tomorrow is for the supporters groups whose chants bring an incredible atmosphere to the games or the fans that jumped in a bus and traveled across the country last year for the MLS Cup Final. It’s also a reward for every kid playing soccer in the city with the dream of sometime in the future representing the city where they grew up.

“Growing up, I would have never thought this would have happened,” said Houstonian and Dynamo ‘keeper Tyler Deric. “It’s pretty surreal. I’ve been driving through this downtown my whole life and knowing that on the other side of the skyline is our own stadium, it’s pretty amazing.”

As for the players and coaches that deserve praise, the list is too long to mention. You can definitely start though with those players represented in the pillars of the stadium. Craig Waibel, Brian Mullan, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett, Stuart Holden, and their teammates laid the foundation for this stadium with their blood, sweat, and tears. While the league office has generally done a poor job with scheduling, having Pat Onstad and Dwayne DeRosario on hand for the stadium opening was a no-brainer as both Dynamo legends deserve the reward. Many current and former players went out of their way to be diplomats in the community for their sport and participate in charities like Brad’s Brigade, the House that Ching Built, or Waibel’s Warriors. Some merely spent additional time at Texas Children’s Hospital on their days off.

It is only fitting that these legends are represented in the building along with current players Brad Davis, Brian Ching, and their head coach Dominic Kinnear. Many moved their families seven years ago from the absolutely beautiful Bay Area to the unknown of Houston, Texas on the hope that tomorrow would come, some day.

“Being able to play in a place that the organization and city can call home is something special,” said Brian Ching. “I’ve been in the league for eleven or twelve years and this is the first time I can legitimately say ‘this is home’ so it’s special.”